Leeds schools need £66m for repairs, says council

The council said repairs are not related to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac)

Repairs costing more than £66m are needed at schools across Leeds, the council has said.

Leeds City Council said the works did not relate to the ongoing issue of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

The Labour-run authority said it only received £6m a year from government for repairs at the 143 schools it runs.

The Department for Education (DfE) said it was investing in rebuilding schools across the country.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a report on the issue to the council's executive board said inflation and the "continued deterioration" of some buildings meant the real cost of repairs was likely to be far higher.

The council's portfolio holder for education, Jonathan Pryor, said the £66m figure was a "conservative" estimate.

He said for repairs the council was "given around £6m a year so that's less than 10% of the need".

"I know the issues around Raac are very high on people's agenda, but I'm clear that I think the debate around school condition funding needs to be much wider than that.

"Raac and concrete is only one of many issues which schools are facing."

The council said it received about £6m a year for repairs to schools

Mr Pryor said he would be writing to the DfE for the ninth time to request it fund repairs.

Alan Lamb, leader of the authority's Conservative group, said the issue should not be a "political football" and they should accept governments "over many years prioritised trying to build things very quickly and cheaply, and that weren't built to last".

"There are many examples of buildings from the 60s, where the race to deliver stuff fast has resulted in poor-quality housing and schools," he said.

A spokesperson for the DfE said it had allocated more than £15bn to improve the schools estate since 2015, including £1.8bn for 2023 to 2024.

"As part of this, Leeds has been allocated almost £6.9 million to invest in its maintained schools this year alone, with an additional £1.38 million allocated directly to its schools," they added.

"This comes on top of the School Rebuilding Programme which is transforming 500 schools over this decade, including seven schools in the Leeds area."